This weekend we will be test driving a 2000 SeaRay 190. This will be our
first boat and was hoping I could get some of you more experienced boaters
to let me know what things I should look for.

I have been reading post after post and some of the things I have already
written down to check a

1. "in gear" idle speed, does it match what is printed on the engine label.
2. does the "no wake" speed actually result in no wake.
3. when the transmission engages a gear, what position or angle is the
throttle in? (this one is especially important to me, because the last time
we rented a boat, we rented and 18 foot SeaRay and the transmission would
engage into forward, but stayed in reverse even with the throttle push
forward, it was an ugly scene at the marina, I ll have to explain later)

Thanks in advance for the info.
Scott

This weekend we will be test driving a 2000 SeaRay 190. This will be our
first boat and was hoping I could get some of you more experienced boaters
to let me know what things I should look for.

I have been reading post after post and some of the things I have already
written down to check a

1. "in gear" idle speed, does it match what is printed on the engine label.
2. does the "no wake" speed actually result in no wake.
3. when the transmission engages a gear, what position or angle is the
throttle in? (this one is especially important to me, because the last time
we rented a boat, we rented and 18 foot SeaRay and the transmission would
engage into forward, but stayed in reverse even with the throttle push
forward, it was an ugly scene at the marina, I ll have to explain later)

Thanks in advance for the info.
Scott

Scott, all the stuff you listed there is petty stuff. You need a professional
to help you. Its much more important to know that the floor, hull , stringers
and especially the transom is solid and dry.

I looked on Boattrader.com and found some links to a couple of services.
One I called, Davis & Associates or something like that, they want $304.00
based on the length of the boat and 55Cents/mile to travel to the boat
location.

Anyone have any suggestions on a good surveyor, what is a reasonable price
to pay for that service.

"-=S=A=S=-" wrote in message
m...
This weekend we will be test driving a 2000 SeaRay 190. This will be our
first boat and was hoping I could get some of you more experienced boaters
to let me know what things I should look for.

I have been reading post after post and some of the things I have already
written down to check a

1. "in gear" idle speed, does it match what is printed on the engine
label.
2. does the "no wake" speed actually result in no wake.
3. when the transmission engages a gear, what position or angle is the
throttle in? (this one is especially important to me, because the last
time
we rented a boat, we rented and 18 foot SeaRay and the transmission would
engage into forward, but stayed in reverse even with the throttle push
forward, it was an ugly scene at the marina, I ll have to explain later)

Thanks in advance for the info.
Scott

The $300 is NOTHING compared to replacing a transom. If you are not sure what
your looking for get it surveyed!!!

Bad boats can make you sick.

"-=S=A=S=-" wrote in message
m...
This weekend we will be test driving a 2000 SeaRay 190.

Not familair with SeaRay models, I assume that this is ~19 feet long,
runabout, I/O.


1. "in gear" idle speed, does it match what is printed on the engine
label.

If the idle speed is unusually high it might be masking an idle problem.
There may not be an engine lable that you can reference, but I would expect
an idle speed of around 800 RPM.

2. does the "no wake" speed actually result in no wake.

You can split hairs on what "no wake" actually means. The boat moving
through the water is going to leave ripples. If the idle speed is too high
then the size of these ripples starts to become a "wake" and then you could
have people object.


3. when the transmission engages a gear, what position or angle is the
throttle in?

I wouldn't be so concerned about the actual angle that the gear shift is in
as much as the difference in angle where the shift occurs and RPMs start to
increase. There should be a good positive detent feel: here is where it
shifts, here is where the speed starts increasing.


These things are all pretty minor and not likely to be an issue on a 2000
year boat. I would be much more concerned about the integrity of the hull,
the condition of the outdrive, etc.

Check the hull over for stress cracks. Look to see if there are any
irregularities in the surface that might indicate repaired damage.

Find out when (or if) the raw water pump impeller has been changed.

Does the boat shift in and out of gear smoothly? The engine should idle
smoothly with no hint of stalling. It should accelerate up without any
hesitation or "flat spots".

If the seats, upholstery and carpet is in good shape then it is a good
indication that the boat was kept covered and relatively dry. If the seats
are moldy or just plain destroyed then it is an indication that the boat
wasn't kept dry and therefore you should have concerns about the stringers
and transom.

Don't forget to check the trailer over closely too.

Rod

Well, I really do appreciate all of the advice. The bad news is we have
decided against buying a used boat, the good news I think we have decided
to bite the bullet and go for a new one. We have our eye on a 2004 Sea Ray
200 Select w/ext. warr.
Very nice black on white, matches our 2004 Denali.

The plan was to buy used and then trade up in two or three years, but when
we looked into the new one we decided we could avoid a lot of the hassles
with a used boat, get the warranty and keep the boat for 10 years or so.

Anyway, thanks again for all of the help. I am sure I will be calling on the
intelligence of this NG again very soon after we take possession.


"Rod McInnis" wrote in message
...

"-=S=A=S=-" wrote in message
m...
This weekend we will be test driving a 2000 SeaRay 190.

Not familair with SeaRay models, I assume that this is ~19 feet long,
runabout, I/O.


1. "in gear" idle speed, does it match what is printed on the engine
label.

If the idle speed is unusually high it might be masking an idle problem.
There may not be an engine lable that you can reference, but I would
expect
an idle speed of around 800 RPM.

2. does the "no wake" speed actually result in no wake.

You can split hairs on what "no wake" actually means. The boat moving
through the water is going to leave ripples. If the idle speed is too
high
then the size of these ripples starts to become a "wake" and then you
could
have people object.


3. when the transmission engages a gear, what position or angle is the
throttle in?

I wouldn't be so concerned about the actual angle that the gear shift is
in
as much as the difference in angle where the shift occurs and RPMs start
to
increase. There should be a good positive detent feel: here is where it
shifts, here is where the speed starts increasing.


These things are all pretty minor and not likely to be an issue on a 2000
year boat. I would be much more concerned about the integrity of the
hull,
the condition of the outdrive, etc.

Check the hull over for stress cracks. Look to see if there are any
irregularities in the surface that might indicate repaired damage.

Find out when (or if) the raw water pump impeller has been changed.

Does the boat shift in and out of gear smoothly? The engine should idle
smoothly with no hint of stalling. It should accelerate up without any
hesitation or "flat spots".

If the seats, upholstery and carpet is in good shape then it is a good
indication that the boat was kept covered and relatively dry. If the
seats
are moldy or just plain destroyed then it is an indication that the boat
wasn't kept dry and therefore you should have concerns about the stringers
and transom.

Don't forget to check the trailer over closely too.

Rod

And lets not forget the outdrive. OMG those things can be a fortune to fix.
KH


Scott, all the stuff you listed there is petty stuff. You need a
professional
to help you. Its much more important to know that the floor, hull ,
stringers
and especially the transom is solid and dry.